Picked No. 54 overall by the Washington Wizards, Kazemi was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with the 38th pick for Glen Rice Jr., who was taken 35th overall by the 76ers.

The 6-foot-8 Kazemi becomes the first Iranian-born player to be drafted in the NBA and the first Oregon Ducks player drafted since 2008 (Malik Hairston 48 to Phoenix, Maarty Leunen 54th to Houston). He averaged 9.4 points and 10 rebounds per game in one season with the Ducks, earning Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and Pac- 12 All-Tournament team honors.

I wanted to thank @Sixers for this opportunity and thank you all my friends for your support throughout this process. #GoSixers#GoDucks

“There’s absolutely no doubt about his character,” says Kazemi’s head coach at Oregon, Dana Altman. “He graduated right on time. He’s a bright, articulate young man. Very good work ethic. He’s not afraid to put the hours in.”

Another interesting twist in this draft mystery is that unlike Evans and Faried, Kazemi won’t be a liability on defense. The Oregon forward was such a devastating pick-and-roll defender at the college level that he could single-handedly disrupt an opposing offense. “He’s one of those guys you game-plan around,” says Miles. Both Miles and Altman also pointed out how well Kazemi moves his feet — a huge plus for NBA teams hoping to use aggressive pick-and-roll defenses like the one Miami employs. Each coach also firmly believes Kazemi can routinely switch onto, and contain, smaller guards out of that same action when the situation calls for it.